


Endgame

by WhiteravenGreywolf



Series: If I stay [56]
Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Carol forgot to vacuum the living room, Carol the ship slayer, F/F, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Final Battle, Fluff, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 13:45:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18942199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf
Summary: Carol and Monica finally leave the Flerken planet and realize they have a message from Natasha. Carol decides to fly home and see what this whole time travel mess is all about.





	Endgame

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! My 120th story on this website! It's crazy cause when I started this series I had just passed the 60 stories so, you know...  
> As promised, Endgame is finally here! While I was writing it I realized how much more stuff I needed to write and I may need to write two more stories (or one very big, very messy story, we'll see) so you can expect a story tomorrow, and I'll decide then whether I'll make this whole epilogue a two-parter or not.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoy!

Carol and Monica left the Flerken planet after spending almost a month there. A month in the jungle, tracking poachers down and stopping ships loaded with Flerkens to fly off. All of this had culminated in the Flerkens getting retributions for their kidnapped brethren. Tentacles flying everywhere, and poachers screaming for help. Carol had managed to save one poacher from being eaten alive, but instead, he would spend the rest of his life in jail.

  
As they left the clean-up job to the authorities, Carol's computer came to life with a message. There had been no network in the jungle, as the planet was uninhabited – besides a very large variety of Flerkens – and the forest was so dense nothing could pass through. Carol stopped flying, Monica stopping beside her. She passed her hand over her computer and the holographic shape of Natasha floated over her hand.

  
"I hope this message gets to you in time. Something happened and I think we found a way to bring everyone back. It's complicated but we created a machine to time travel and we could use your help. Call me back as soon as you can."

  
Natasha disappeared, leaving both Carol and Monica stunned. A way to bring everyone back with time travel. Carol's heart had stopped in her chest. She looked back at her hand as if something else was going to happen. All she was saw was her hand and the golden ring around her finger.

  
Hurriedly, she called Natasha back. Radio silence. Carol's chest felt like it was caving in on itself, fear and worry and excitement sipping into her bloodstream. She shook her head.

  
"This is not good. Natasha told me this channel would always be open. We have to go home."

  
Monica nodded, and together they sped at top speed through the galaxy. Carol was a bit faster than Monica, but she didn't want to leave her behind. However, when Monica noticed Carol was waiting for her, she said:

  
"Go! They could be in danger. I'll meet you there."

  
Carol nodded, determination setting on her face. She flew past the speed of light. The stars seemed to bend around her, to the point that she only saw light. Monica was trailing a few minutes behind, not quite able to break past the speed of light. Carol's heart was pounding in her chest. Something was happening, she could feel it. Her friends needed her help.

  
She was halfway there when her computer informed her that she had an incoming call. She stopped completely. She was in the middle of space, with no planet in sight. She assumed it was Natasha calling her back. She looked down at the screen. It was Maria.

  
Her blood froze over. Her entire being had been turned to stone. Still, the computer continued to ring. Soon, she knew, it would go to voice-mail or the closest thing to a voice-mail. At the last second, Carol remembered to accept the call. Her heart seemed to implode in her chest, her throat tightened and tears prickled her eyes.

  
"Carol? Carol where are you? Are you still in space? Carol..."

  
She chocked on a sob, which Maria was bound to hear.

  
"Maria?"

  
"Carol I don't know what happened... Everything is so dusty in here and..."

  
Carol tried to laugh, but it turned into another sob.

  
"It's my fault... I should have vacuumed..."

  
"Carol, what happened?"

  
Carol took a deep breath, trying to get her emotions into check. She would never make it home quickly if she sobbed all the way there.

  
"I'll explain as soon as I get back, okay? I promise, I'm on my way back! I love you so much! I'll be back in no time!"

  
"I love you too. Be safe okay?"

  
"I'll be right there! Don't move!"

  
Carol flew away without even hanging up. She didn't want to hang up, she wanted to speak to Maria, to hear her voice, but she would go faster if she didn't speak at the same time. Monica had probably almost caught up with her by now, she could bring her up to speed as soon as they reached the Earth.

* * *

  
  
In a matter of minutes, Carol saw the Earth growing closer and closer to her. However, she was quick to notice something that should not have been there. A massive alien ship floating above what she suspected was the exact location of the Avengers' HQ. She clenched her teeth. Something was wrong. This was why no one had answered her call. She looked further down the continent. Louisiana was right there. Maria was right there. She sighed. Time to save the day again.

  
"Monica? HQ is under attack, they're going to need our help."

  
"I'll be there in two minutes."

  
"See you there."

  
She flew down, breaking through the atmosphere at top speed. She disappeared into the clouds, and through the smoke that was rising from the complex. She heard gears shifting, and laser cannons firing. When the first laser hit her, it didn't even tickle. She was glowing so brightly that the energy around her seemed to absorb whatever the ship was sending her way. She saw the ship right in front of her. She aimed right at it.

  
She passed through almost too easily. Any metal walls and barriers that should have stopped her bent and broke against her. She felt the fire of many explosions around her, shaking the ship even more. It didn't even make her flinch. She pierced through the ship and took a sharp turn to go through it again. She flew through the central piece of the ship, making a vertical line through it. More explosions, more broken everything around her. She emerged out of it as it was collapsing into massive pieces, falling down with nothing to stop it.

  
Carol glared down at the ground. Her eyes fell on the massive army attacking her planet, and the one trying to defend it. And in the middle of all of it was Thanos, looking up at her with disbelief. She smirked, her eyes still glowing.

  
"Captain," she heard Steve calling her. "We could really use an assist."

  
"I had a feeling you would say that."

  
"Find the gauntlet. Thanos can't get his hands on it. There's a van out there with a portal in its trunk. Get the stones out of here now!"

  
"Got it!"

  
Carol quickly found the gauntlet. It was in the hands of a little spider kid who really looked like he could use a hug. She flew down and landed in front of him. He looked at her and blinked a few times, still stunned.

  
"I don't know if you remember me..." he started mumbling.

  
"Peter, of course, I remember you. Got something for me?"

  
She helped him up. There was a bright light in the sky as Monica finally caught up with her, and zoomed in on her position. If Carol squinted, she could see the van, stuck in the middle of the enemy lines. She took the gauntlet from Peter's hands. She could almost feel the stones vibrating against the metal. Maybe they recognized a child of theirs.

  
"How are you going to get through all that?" he asked at the sight of all of Thanos' troops still charging their way.

  
The air vibrated beside them as Wanda and Monica landed beside her. Valkyrie followed quickly, her flying horse landing nearby.

  
"Don't worry," Wanda assured.

  
Okoye and Shuri were quick to join, and as Pepper, in a brand new blue armor, landed right in front of her, Okoye added:

  
"She's got help."

  
Carol recognize one of the women from the Guardians beside her, and Nebula and Gamora leading the charge ahead. Even another woman she hadn't met before - Hope, the file had said when she'd seen it five years ago - seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of her.

  
They all rushed fearlessly forward, and like a small tidal wave, they pushed back the invading army. Nothing seemed to be able to stop them. She saw Valkyrie take a leviathan down with ease, while Wanda took two others down. Carol pushed herself off the ground and turned on her powers. She flew as close to the ground as possible, taking anything in her path with her. Monica was flying overhead, before she landed in the middle of a massive group of soldiers with a flash of light, blinding them all.

  
Thanos was right in front of her, his sword at the ready. Before she could meet him fist first, however, Pepper, Shuri, Monica, and Hope all blasted Thanos. He fought back for a second before he was pushed out of her way. She flew past him quickly.

  
The portal was right in front of her. If she could get through, the stones would be out of Thanos' grasp once again. She had no idea where or when she was going. She thought about Maria, who was waiting at home for her. She picked up speed. What were a few more decades of waiting for Carol, who wouldn't age a day?

  
Something flew past her and landed right into the portal. She was almost there, one more second and she would pass through. Instead, the portal shattered into a thousand pieces and sent her back. She landed in a pile of rubble. Her head was ringing, and she was probably bleeding from somewhere. She coughed and pushed herself up. Thunder was crackling nearby. She shook her head. Thor was trying to keep Thanos away from the gauntlet. Her vision was still a bit blurry, but she distinctly saw Steve jumping on his back and trying to help. They were almost there.

  
She pushed herself back up, fist clenched and energy swirling around her. Thanos knocked both Thor and Steve off of him. She jumped into action once again. She landed on the back of Thanos' knee right as he picked up the gauntlet. He sank down and tried to punch her as he forced himself back up. She flew out of his way, then punched him twice, putting all of her unused fury from five years ago in her hits. Thanos was pushed back, bit by bit. She didn't know what he wanted to do with the stones, but she had a vague idea, and every cell in her body was screaming 'Not on my watch'.

  
He avoided one of her punch and she used her lot her balance to lunge for the gauntlet. Instead, Thanos grabbed her arm and he threw her away. She rolled on the dusty ground, a small cloud of ashes raising around her. She got back up. Thanos had put the gauntlet and was trying about to snap again. She grabbed his hand and held his fingers apart. She was going to get that thing off of him, and if she couldn't, she would break his fingers in so many pieces that he wouldn't even be able to snap.

  
He was trying to hold her back, but soon enough she was able to stand up once again, both of her hands still pressing down on the gauntlet. He panicked and tried to head-butt her. She didn't budge, she didn't even flinch. She gave him a small smirk. She could see the fear sink into his eyes. Good. She flew up, one hand still holding the gauntlet apart and the other raised, ready to punch the gauntlet out of his hand. She forced a bit more. His fingers were starting to bend inward, which must have been all kind of painful for him, not that she cared.

  
Suddenly, she saw something purple glowing in his other hand. She realized only too late that he had taken the power stone off the gauntlet. Oh, this is going to hurt, she thought, before he knocked the light out of her.

* * *

  
  
"Carol? Hey, Carol!"

  
She seemed to come to life suddenly, coughing the dust out of her lungs and frowning as light once again came to her eyes.

  
"Mom? You're okay?"

  
She forced her eyes open. Wanda and Monica were kneeling beside her, looking at her with concern. Carol coughed again and rubbed her eyes until the light became less harsh.

  
"Considering I just got punched by the power stone, I think I'm okay."

  
She sat down slowly. There were only ruins around her. Ashes floating in the wind and fires that wizards – so maybe she'd been hit a bit too hard on the head but that definitely looked like magic – were putting out. A lot of wounded, probably a lot of casualties too. Thanos' forces were completely gone. Not even their corpses or even the ship Carol had taken out were left. She frowned.

  
"Did we win?" she asked, still rubbing the numbness out of her face.

  
Wanda and Monica exchanged a look.

  
"We did, but..."

  
Carol saw the sadness in their eyes. She pushed herself up. So what if her knee was still twisted in the wrong direction from all the rolling she'd done when she'd landed? She limped through the ruins, Monica supporting her. Everyone was standing in front of something, some old piece of concrete. As she approached, they let her through. They all looked sadly at her. There were so many people. She let go of Monica's support and limped to the front of the crowd. As she did, she passed Peter, who was crying in Rhodey's arms. She passed Thor who was desperately trying not to cry.

  
Finally, she made it to the front of the crowd. Tony was seated against the concrete block, eyes closed. The light of his reactor was gone. The stones lay on his right hand, the right side of his face burned off. Pepper was kneeling beside him, crying. Steve was standing beside Carol, rubbing the tears off of his face. They were all crying. Tears soon rolled out of Carol's eyes before she even realized what was happening.

* * *

  
  
Maria had tried to occupy herself as best as she could while she waited. She'd turned on the TV and watched, and tried to understand. Every channel was saying the same thing. All the people who'd disappeared five years ago were back. Five years. That included her. The Avengers HQ had been under attack, but thanks to the sacrifice of Tony Stark, everything was fine. She couldn't believe it. She'd cleaned the house a bit, but saying confined had only made her more nervous. So she'd gone outside.

  
Her workshop was overrun with plants and rust. She could believe Carol had not gone home for five years when she saw how rusted all of her tools were. She started stuffing all of them in a box to throw away. What was the purpose of an adjustable wrench if rust had blocked it in one size only? She'd turned on the radio, thinking she could distract herself, but the radio was also only talking about the five years and catching people up to speed and it made her head spin. Just as she turned it off, she heard light footsteps on the concrete behind her.

  
"I'm looking for Maria Rambeau."

  
She turned around slowly, in shock. Carol was standing there. She was covered in grime and dust, dry blue blood matting her forehead. She was wearing a new outfit, more red than blue. Her hair was much much shorter than she'd ever seen her wear it. But the goofy, happy smile on her lips was the same. Tears were already running down her cheeks before Maria closed the distance between them. Their hug was short-lived, replaced by a desperate kiss. Carol thought she was still dreaming because it was too good to be true. She must have been hit so hard on the head that she was hallucinating all of it.

  
They separated and Carol placed her forehead against Maria's. Both of their eyes were still glistening with tears.

  
"You're really here..." Carol breathed out as she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling to Maria in her arms, so close to her.

  
"What happened to your hair?" Maria asked, laughing.

  
"It's a long story..."

  
Carol reopened her eyes, and more tears ran down her cheeks when she realized Maria was still there, and she hadn't dream any of it.

  
There was a blinding flash of light behind them. Maria blinked and they separated as the flash landed beside them, and Monica came into view. Maria was stunned for a moment.

  
"Let me guess, it's a long story?"

  
Monica nodded, joining the tearful reunion quickly.

  
"Yeah but it's okay, we have all the time in the world to catch up now..."

  
Monica rushed in her mother's arms, hugging her fiercely. Carol joined the hug quickly.

  
"I missed you so much," Monica told her mother.

  
"I'm here," Maria promised.

  
They stayed the three of them like that for a long moment, none of them wanting to let go. When they finally did, they all brushed their tears away.

  
"It's good both of you are here," Maria said, "the house needs a lot of cleaning."

  
Carol chuckled and pressed a kiss on Maria's cheek.

  
"I did promise to vacuum the living room five years ago."

  
"And you always keep your promises," Maria reminded her.

  
"Always," Carol agreed.


End file.
